YouGov BrandIndex (www.brandindex.com) is the only daily consumer perception research service of brands, interviewing 5,000 people each weekday from a representative US population sample, more than 1.2 million interviews per year. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of more than 1.5MM individuals.

Gordon Ramsay, Bette Midler and a Sale Help Acura's Buzz Rise in November

While Buzz scores for the Luxury Car Sector as a whole decreased during the month of November among prospective new car buyers—indicating sinking consumer perception—Acura saw a distinct lift in Buzz during the middle of the month. The jump in consumer perception was probably aided by the start of the “Season of Reason” Sales Event and the release of two ads to promote it, one featuring chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay and the other with singer and actress Bette Midler.

The Ramsay ad opens with a woman at a holiday dinner party proudly announcing to camera that she had hired Ramsay for the event. As camera pans to kitchen, we see the renowned chef treating the kitchen staff to his trademark temper, while the somewhat confused dinner guests look on. The Midler ad also starts in a similar manner, with a man telling the camera that he wanted to have the best group of carolers in the neighborhood this year, so he hired “the incomparable Bette Midler”. These carolers promptly arrive at a house, with Midler, as may be expected, stealing the show. Following the hijinks, both ads conclude with a narrator, announcing over a distinctly Christmas-y jingle, “At a time when it’s easy to go overboard, Acura invites you to be smarter and over-save during the Season of Reason Sales Event.”

This “Season of Reason” Sales Event and the accompanying ads seem to have had a positive effect on Acura’s consumer perception. On November 11, several days before the ad was released, Acura’s Buzz score among prospective new car buyers stood at 6, while the average Buzz for Luxury Car Sector as a whole was 13. One week later, Acura’s Buzz had jumped to 17, while that of Luxury Car Sector had sunk to 9. Although Acura’s Buzz score did level out following this peak, it remained, for the rest month, higher than both the Luxury Car Sector average and also where it had stood before the release of the ads.

Buzz scores, Acura and Luxury Car Sector Average

Toyota was measured using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents: “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”

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